December 8
General Bipin Rawat is no more. He was the country’s first Chief of Defense Staff. His helicopter crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu at around 12.20 pm on Wednesday.
There were 14 people from the army, including General Rawat’s wife Madhulika Rawat. 13 people have died in this accident.
“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the Indian Air Force said in a tweet.
Sources said, the chopper crashed shortly after it took off this morning from an Air Force base in Sulur near Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore. It was heading to Wellington in Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty, where a Defence Services Staff College is located.
According to defense sources, after confirming the news of General Rawat’s death, the Prime Minister has called a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, ie CCS, at 6.30 pm. After this a formal announcement of death can be made. people were in the Mi-17 V5 helicopter that fell victim to the accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the death of CDS Rawat. Modi wrote in the tweet,
Gen Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional. His passing away has saddened me deeply. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/YOuQvFT7Et
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2021
